Theatre goers are in for some fantastic plays at the Ensemble in Kirribilli.
The Ensemble has always been a Sydney theatre which punches well above its weight. And with its 2024 season boasting no fewer than four world premieres, there will definitely be a comedy, drama or classic for all tastes.
Comedy The Great Divide is the play which retired Australian playwright David Williamson said he could ‘not not write’. Set in a fictional sea-side town of Wallis Heads, darling of Australian television Georgie Parker returns to the Ensemble for the tale about human greed.
Inspired by the ‘teal’ movement in Australian politics, McGuffin Park is another comedy which makes its focus the world of local politics – where the players often think they are on a larger stage.
Artistic Director Mark Kilmurry said at the season launch that the Ensemble had achieved great success this year in the context of theatres experiencing declining ticket sales world-wide, with plays such as Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica selling out. Mr Kilmurry said David Williamson was a ‘big champion’ of the Ensemble, with the playwright coming out of retirement to write The Great Divide.
Of the 10 plays in next year’s season, Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith features in two, penning psychological thriller . The play is set in the Swiss Alps where a best-selling crime author is avoiding the public, until an ‘intriguing’ young man from her publisher’s office disturbs the peace. Murray-Smith has also adapted a contemporised version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, the classic about unrequited love and living a life without meaning in pre-revolution Russia.
Finally, in Master Class, the audience will be treated to operatic arias as Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play about American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas is brought to life by the ‘dynamic’ Lucia Mastrantone.
With pre-dinner meals available at the Ensemble’s bistro, Bayly’s, it really is an easy way to have a great night out in a stunning location which looks out to Careening Cove – without the usual waterfront prices.
Visit ensemble.com.au for full details about the 2024 season, and the remaining shows for 2023.